eassae Light to Dark -●-●- ٩(⚙ᴗ⚙)۶

[eassae]

Here's another little taste…final, but not final final…, but close to final final…:

https://soundcloud.com/eassae/sn-769/s-DfC92sVQyAh

[shawshawraw]

I love this! Sparse and effective. It's an awesome writing!!

Biggest complaint would be the kick from 0:23 - I'd love if it can sink between the speakers.

The position of clap sound is a little confusing. Sounds like it wants to come forward, but you're containing it in the back.

I'd love the piano from 1:35 - 1:54 to be a busier solo as there's nothing else to focus on. From 1:55 to 2:20 the panning is too wide to my taste, smearing into the swelling texture on sides.

[eassae]

I love this! Sparse and effective. It's an awesome writing!!

Biggest complaint would be the kick from 0:23 - I'd love if it can sink between the speakers.

The position of clap sound is a little confusing. Sounds like it wants to come forward, but you're containing it in the back.

I'd love the piano from 1:35 - 1:54 to be a busier solo as there's nothing else to focus on. From 1:55 to 2:20 the panning is too wide to my taste, smearing into the swelling texture on sides.

Thanks for listening. I'll take a look at the things you mentioned.

[tomtom1]

Wow thats nice. I am jealous about your drum programming... can you give a little insight how you do this?? Really strong Track.

[eassae]

Wow thats nice. I am jealous about your drum programming... can you give a little insight how you do this?? Really strong Track.

Thanks! In terms of drums I usually start with four bars and just loop it through the entire song while I arrange everything else. Then I go back and edit the patterns to make them integrate and accentuate the melody. This track was a little different. I was going to do a section without the drums that was more ambient, but I changed my mind and wrote a completely different rhythm. I basically through composed it as I already had other elements in place.

I don't know if this helps. I don't have patterns in mind when I start, I just kind of work intuitively. Also before I start drum programming, I load up NI Battery with a ton of sounds so I have a lot to work with. I tweak many parameters in Battery as I write.

[tomtom1]

Wow thats nice. I am jealous about your drum programming... can you give a little insight how you do this?? Really strong Track.

Thanks! In terms of drums I usually start with four bars and just loop it through the entire song while I arrange everything else. Then I go back and edit the patterns to make them integrate and accentuate the melody. This track was a little different. I was going to do a section without the drums that was more ambient, but I changed my mind and wrote a completely different rhythm. I basically through composed it as I already had other elements in place.

I don't know if this helps. I don't have patterns in mind when I start, I just kind of work intuitively. Also before I start drum programming, I load up NI Battery with a ton of sounds so I have a lot to work with. I tweak many parameters in Battery as I write.

i am not sure if i understand completly... does it mean: do you set each individual hit via mouse/controller into the piano-roll editor? do you have rules to do this or just intuition? e.q. it sounds good to double a 16th on the 2+; a clap on the 3++ works well (okay maybe stupid examples...) but you understand what i mean... (i studied classical music and know the system of permutation, but also know how many time it takes to do it...).

sorry for all my questions... but i am really impressed - you listened to tracks of mine, but my method is way way simpler (but also the results aren't defined that good in terms of sound-quality) - thats why i ask...

[eassae]

i am not sure if i understand completly... does it mean: do you set each individual hit via mouse/controller into the piano-roll editor? do you have rules to do this or just intuition? e.q. it sounds good to double a 16th on the 2+; a clap on the 3++ works well (okay maybe stupid examples...) but you understand what i mean... (i studied classical music and know the system of permutation, but also know how many time it takes to do it...).

sorry for all my questions... but i am really impressed - you listened to tracks of mine, but my method is way way simpler (but also the results aren't defined that good in terms of sound-quality) - thats why i ask...

No problem. I do set each individual hit via mouse controller in the piano roll. I leave most of the hits on grid, but selectively move some slightly off. Also I use Battery to modulate pitch and pan a bit—mostly in the high-hats. I don't have any rules or really know any. I always start with the kick and the clap/snare, then build from there.

The first half of this songs drums just started as a four bar loop. Usually my very last step in completing a song is adding different permutations to that four bars. In the section that starts at 1:54, I had most of the ambient and synth elements in place, so I through composed the drums to 2:37. There's some repetition, but not a whole lot in that section. I've also been playing around with using triplets here and there. Sometimes I can get it to work, but others it doesn't sound to good to my ears.

I process the claps/snares, hats, crashes, and kick all on separate channels. So they all get eq'd and sent to various processing differently. I like battery because I can have them all triggered on the same channel, but sent to different outputs. It makes editing way easier. The only thing that has its individual track for editing is the kick. As I mentioned in another thread, I've really been into layering kicks lately. I'm not sure about other DAWS, but logic is cool because you can set up a monitor track and trigger all layers of your kick with one midi note at the same time.

BTW: If I had to rely on my musicianship to enter the patterns I'd be screwed. I'm getting a little better at my piano playing, but it will be a long time till i'm "in the pocket" with drums:(

If I still didn't answer your question, I'm happy to answer more.

[tomtom1]

If I still didn't answer your question, I'm happy to answer more.

okay i think i understand know. but i really have one last question: how long does it take to write the drums? what do you guess...

[eassae]

If I still didn't answer your question, I'm happy to answer more.

okay i think i understand know. but i really have one last question: how long does it take to write the drums? what do you guess...

It varies with every track, but I'd say I put somewhere between 8–12 hours into writing and mixing the drums on this track. Including about 25 minutes of a<->b deciding on weather or not to put a reverse crash sucking sound leading into the hit at 2:45:/

[eassae]

If I still didn't answer your question, I'm happy to answer more.

okay i think i understand know. but i really have one last question: how long does it take to write the drums? what do you guess...

To give you an idea of how I usually start a track, here is something I did this morning.

PLAY

[vurt]

well that was great
not really got any feedback as it sounds done to me!
love the perc/drums, really nice programming and clarity in the mix

[tomtom1]

To give you an idea of how I usually start a track, here is something I did this morning.

hey thank you very much. I do it very differently when it comes to the drums. I program patterns (mostly in a sequencer) - and when I hear interesting ones, I analyze them (which is sometimes very tedious) - and then I modify them. or if I ever find a midi file of a drum track, I convert it into notes and then study it ... and then try to reprogram it and find out some "rules" - maybe super inefficient

[eassae]

well that was great
not really got any feedback as it sounds done to me!
love the perc/drums, really nice programming and clarity in the mix

Thanks vurt! I appreciate it.

[eassae]

To give you an idea of how I usually start a track, here is something I did this morning.

hey thank you very much. I do it very differently when it comes to the drums. I program patterns (mostly in a sequencer) - and when I hear interesting ones, I analyze them (which is sometimes very tedious) - and then I modify them. or if I ever find a midi file of a drum track, I convert it into notes and then study it ... and then try to reprogram it and find out some "rules" - maybe super inefficient

I just recently, maybe in the past year, started using battery. In the past I used logic's ultrabeat sequencer all the time.

[Frantz]

I really enjoyed that. Kind of futuristic jazz?

Nice clear bright mix. Great stuff.